Bantama Residents Raise Alarm Over Flooding at Atafoa Owabi Bridge.

Residents of Bantama have expressed concern over worsening flooding around the Atafoa Owabi Bridge, attributing the situation to abandoned and irregular dredging works along the waterway.

According to community members, the bridge has for years served as a major drainage channel within the area. They noted that efforts to dredge and improve the bridge were initiated under the previous NPP administration and championed by the Member of Parliament for Bantama, Francis Asenso-Boakye, with the aim of preventing floods and ensuring the free flow of water.

The residents alleged that since the dredging works stalled, the bridge has become a major source of flooding in nearby homes whenever it rains heavily. They explained that the lack of regular desilting has allowed silt, refuse, and debris to accumulate in the channel, obstructing the natural flow of water and causing it to overflow into homes and compounds.

They stressed that the flooding problem should not be blamed solely on heavy rainfall, insisting that neglect and poor maintenance were significant contributing factors.

Residents further indicated that several families continue to lose property and valuables during the rainy season, while stagnant floodwaters expose children and the elderly to waterborne diseases. They also warned that roads and building foundations around the bridge are gradually weakening, thereby posing a threat to lives and property.

The community is therefore calling on the current authorities to continue and complete the dredging and desilting project started under the previous administration. They appealed for a planned and consistent maintenance schedule for the Atafoa Owabi Bridge drainage channel before the onset of heavier rains.

Some residents maintained that Bantama residents should not suffer as a result of abandoned maintenance works, adding that restoring proper dredging operations would significantly address the recurring flooding situation in the area.

They also stated that they would resist any attempt to allow developmental projects initiated under the previous administration to deteriorate.